Rockin’ in Shakespeare

From left to right, Larissa Beckman as Robin Starveling, KC as Dog, Mitchell Blohm as Francis Flute, Zach Thomas Woods as Peter Quince, and Silvia Stoeger as Snug in A ROCKIN’ Midsummer Night’s Dream at Skylight Music Theatre. Photo credit: Mark Frohna.

A review of A ROCKIN' Midsummer Night's Dream

by Lucia E. Schrader, age 11

Recently I watched my first Shakespeare play, A ROCKIN’ Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed by a talented cast at Skylight Music Theatre. This rock-and-roll version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was filled with magical fairies, beautiful costumes, catchy music, and creative sets.

The music in the show, written by Eric Svejcar, was outstanding! The singers sang high and loud at the same time, which I personally can’t do yet (but I’ll keep practicing!) There were also musicians playing instruments in the back area of the stage. I loved all of the songs and couldn’t pick a favorite. The music made me want to get up and dance!

The special effects, like the fog, really brought the scenes to life! My favorite character, Puck, cast love spells using special flowers. Puck snuck around getting the flowers for the spells, and was invisible to people. Puck was wonderfully played by Lainey Techtmann, who also acted in another show that I reviewed (Lovabye Dragon at First Stage!)

Jonathan Berg-Einhorn designed the plant-filled set where the fairies lived. I loved the fairies’ woods, because I love nature! In some scenes, the woods transformed into a castle, the home of one of the main characters, Hermia (played by Serena Vasquez). The costumes were awesome-tastic, thanks to the talented costume designer Josephine Everett and wardrobe supervisor, Alexis Flaten. The fairies’ green costumes reminded me of nature. I also loved Puck’s beautiful blue outfit.

My favorite actor in the show, KC, was neither a human nor a fairy. KC is a five-year-old bearded collie who played the part of "Dog." This was KC’s first time on stage! She is also a therapy dog, which was definitely helpful when the fog effects set off the smoke detectors the night I saw the show. The cast and audience members went outside in the pouring rain…and that’s when there was a tornado warning! We all came back in (soaked but safe) and after the fire department turned the alarm off, the show went on. KC (and the humans) stayed calm, even during these unexpected events. At the end of the show, KC joined the human actors for bows, even bowing her head and wagging her tail. Congratulations, KC! 

In conclusion, I highly recommend Skylight Music Theatre’s musical A ROCKIN’ Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was a fun and entertaining show, even if you’re new to Shakespeare (like me!) I recommend this musical for people 8 and up, but I think anyone could watch it!